Selvia’s mouth opened slightly in surprise.
She had stiffened as though hearing a shocking truth and looked around.
Confirming that there was no one eavesdropping, Selvia lowered her voice and spoke.
"Why is that?"
"...What do you mean?"
"I’m asking why you’re going to such lengths to help me. I don’t understand."
Daniel felt puzzled by Selvia’s question.
‘Me?’
Daniel had been looking for a way to break through to save himself, nothing more.
However, from Selvia's perspective, all of Daniel’s actions seemed selfless.
First of all, Selvia had been saved by Daniel twice.
Moreover, when she was struggling with the issue of imperial succession, Daniel had been a great help.
But it didn’t stop there.
This time, amid the aristocratic infighting that was shaking the imperial authority, Daniel had brought information about some of the aristocrats being collaborators.
It was incredibly timely, just before the coronation.
Thanks to that, with the imperial family’s orders, Daniel had been able to use legitimate grounds to conduct an inspection against the nobles, significantly increasing the authority of the imperial family.
For Selvia, who was soon to become the empress, Daniel was a loyal servant beyond compare.
On the other hand, Daniel, who had done nothing for Selvia’s sake, only felt burdened by her gaze.
Nevertheless, he thought there was no need to reveal the truth, so he gave an awkward smile.
"I believed that serving Your Highness, the Princess, was the best way to serve the Empire."
"The best way to serve the Empire, you say…"
Though it was a vague answer, Selvia did not find it unpleasant.
It confirmed again that Daniel was working for her.
"I also believe that appointing you to a key position is the best way to serve the Empire. So, after the coronation, I plan to promote you in front of all the ministers."
Promoting Daniel to Colonel in front of the high-ranking officials at the coronation would publicly declare that he was now an ally of the future Emperor.
Though it was a heavy burden for Daniel, he could not refuse.
With all the achievements he had accumulated, it would be impossible to turn it down, and on a larger scale, becoming a trusted ally of Selvia would be more advantageous for his survival.
"If you do that, I will accept it as the greatest joy of my life."
Daniel placed his hand on his chest and lightly bowed, causing a smile to spread across Selvia's face.
She had been wondering what to do if he refused, but Daniel accepted without hesitation, which pleased her.
"I’m glad to hear that. But…"
Selvia gently lifted the cup of tea.
"What is your plan from here on?"
She was asking how Daniel would spend his time while delaying the investigation, keeping an eye on the aristocrats' reactions.
Although Daniel would have liked to spend his time leisurely eating desserts, there was no luxury for that.
"I plan to head to the southern part of the Empire."
"The south? Are you planning to visit your hometown?"
"No, not exactly. I’m going there to fulfill a promise I made to a subordinate’s father."
The subordinate in question was Freyen, whose father was the head pastor of the Glorious Sacred Flame Cathedral.
Naturally, it wasn’t just for the good of the Church that the Glorious Sacred Flame Cathedral had funded Melverton Newspaper according to Daniel’s wishes.
A few days later, near the Glorious Sacred Flame Cathedral.
The Cradle of Peace Orphanage.
Screech—
A luxury car slowly entered the orphanage grounds.
As the car came to a complete stop, the driver's door opened.
The person who stepped out was Freyen, her light brown hair tied back in a braid.
She briefly looked around at the orphanage’s grounds before smiling lightly and opening the backseat door.
"We’ve arrived, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel."
Daniel, who had been reading the inspection report, turned at the sound of her voice.
He saw children playing with a ball in an open area next to the orphanage.
Confirming they had arrived, Daniel threw the report aside, stepped out of the car, and stretched his stiff body from the long drive, squinting against the bright sunlight.
‘So this is the orphanage run by Freyen’s father. With no one around except the kids, I guess I understand why we’re meeting here...’
Daniel’s thoughts were interrupted when suddenly—
Thud—
A ball flew out of nowhere, hitting Daniel in the stomach and falling to the ground.
He looked down to see a child running toward the ball to retrieve it.
"Sorry! I…"
As the child came closer and picked up the ball, they looked up to apologize but froze on the spot.
"Eh, uh..."
A man in the Empire’s officer uniform was staring down at them with a cold, emotionless gaze.
Underneath the officer’s cap, there was no emotion in his eyes—only a chilling, unfeeling look that radiated fear, one that an innocent child would find hard to endure.
"Hee… Heeeek…"
The child could barely make a sound, trembling, when Daniel knelt down to their level.
When the child’s eyes met his, their face nearly broke into tears.
Slowly, Daniel reached out a hand toward the trembling child.
Unable to hold back their fear, the child shut their eyes tightly.
But then Daniel’s hand gently rested on top of their head.
"You don’t need to apologize. It was my fault for not avoiding the ball."
The child’s eyes opened cautiously, surprised by the warmth in Daniel’s voice and the gentleness of his touch, which contrasted with his earlier intimidating appearance.
After gathering the courage to open their eyes, the child saw Daniel smiling kindly.
Thinking that maybe he wasn’t a bad person, the child hesitated, and Daniel withdrew his hand, showing his empty palm.
"Now, watch carefully."
Pretending to struggle, Daniel clenched his fist, then opened his hand again.
There, resting on his open palm, was a single coin.
The child, eyes wide with wonder, stared at it in amazement.
"Wow! How did you do that!?"
"Well, I think God decided to give you a gift for having a kind heart and made this coin appear in my hand."
"Really?"
With the child’s innocent question, Daniel smiled and extended the coin toward them.
"Of course. Go buy yourself something nice to eat with it."
Finally realizing that Daniel wasn’t a bad person, the child took the coin and bowed deeply.
"Thank you!"
As the child ran off, Daniel gave a faint smile and stood up.
Lightly brushing his hands, Daniel looked back at Freyen, only to freeze.
Freyen was looking at him with shining eyes.
‘Let’s not ask...’
Daniel sighed inwardly, not wanting to hear any more strange praise.
"Where is your father?"
"Oh, I’ll show you the way."
Snapping out of her thoughts, Freyen led Daniel inside the orphanage.
After moving through the rather spacious building, they arrived at a reception room.
"I’ll wait here," Freyen said as she opened the door to the room.
Daniel nodded and stepped inside.
At the sound of footsteps, Pastor Belaf, sitting on the sofa, stood up.
Pastor Belaf let out an exaggerated gasp, as if overwhelmed, and reached out his hand toward Daniel.
"I’m Belaf, the head pastor of the Glorious Sacred Flame Cathedral, and the father of Freyen."
"Nice to meet you. I’m..."
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, the hero of the Empire! Anyone who doesn’t know that would be a spy! I can’t believe I’m meeting you in person—this is such an honor!"
With a hearty laugh, Belaf's voice echoed as the door behind them closed.
Daniel, still holding Belaf’s hand, lightly shook it.
"Since you granted my request, it’s only right that I return the favor, Pastor."
"Thank you for saying that! Oh, please, have a seat and enjoy some coffee! I’ve brought the finest coffee just for you, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel."
"That sounds perfect."
After exchanging warm words, they sat down on the sofa together.
Belaf, still blinking in disbelief at actually seeing Daniel, soon smiled and spoke.
"At first, I thought my daughter was just playing a prank on me. After all, she’s famous for using black magic, isn’t she? She’s practically living in the Empire’s shadow..."
Belaf clicked his tongue, making his displeasure obvious.
"I can’t believe someone like her knows a person like you, Lieutenant Colonel, who is the light of the Empire. But seeing you here in person, I can tell my daughter wasn’t lying."
"Then, I think you should apologize to Freyen. Doubt leads to betrayal, after all."
"Eh? Ah, hahahaha! Of course, I see your point. But, has my daughter caused you any trouble, Lieutenant Colonel? It’s not just about her magic—her personality has a few flaws as well."
"Flaws?"
"I’m not sure if it was the way she was raised, but my daughter tends to think in extremes. It’s never a good sign."
Extreme thoughts.
Considering Freyen’s past actions and statements, Daniel didn’t think it was completely wrong.
"I also agree with what you just said..."
Daniel paused mid-sentence and fell silent.
His gaze had subconsciously drifted toward the door, and he noticed something.
Through the slightly open door, Freyen was staring at them from the other side of the room.
With an eerie and unsettling presence, her eyes glowed with an ominous, unnatural energy, sending chills down Daniel’s spine.
Though he wasn’t sure, it seemed like black magic was faintly emanating from her.
‘...Did she not close the door, or is she pretending it’s closed?’
A cold sweat broke out on Daniel’s skin.
If he were to badmouth Freyen here, he felt he might not make it out alive.
How could he predict what that nationalistic fanatic might do?
After a brief pause, Daniel corrected his response.
"I disagree. I don’t care what you think about your daughter, Pastor, but Freyen is one of the people I hold dearest. She’s a loyal and capable subordinate."
After speaking, Daniel subtly glanced at Freyen.
Upon hearing his words, Freyen, surprised, widened her eyes, and then, with a hint of bashfulness, smiled brightly.
She looked like a girl in love, but to Daniel, it only felt unsettling.
‘At least...’
New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.
He was relieved that he had avoided the worst-case scenario.